WOW-Thoughts on June 29,2016 NHL Deals

In case you missed it, three huge things happened yesterday. Adam Larsson went to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Taylor Hall. Next, P.K. Subban went to the Nashville Predators for Shea Weber. Finally, Steven Stamkos, as i predicted signed on for eight more years with the Tampa Bay Lighting. Wow, if only these moves happened, then this would be one of the biggest offseasons in NHL history and we are not even at July 1 yet. Free agency has not even opened up yet. The rest of this offseason promises to be fun and entertaining.

First, Taylor Hall was undersold in how good he is. Since he was drafted he has been the Oilers’ most reliable forward routinely putting up strong seasons in spite of all the losing. Hall does have defensive issues but is one of the best goal scoring playmaking forwards in the game. In coach John Hynes’ defensive system Hall’s defensive numbers will improve. Playing in front of Cory Schneider will certainly help as well. Adam Larsson is a solid defenseman but not worth Taylor Hall.

Second, the blockbuster trade of the day is the Subban for Weber swap. Both teams are getting elite defenseman. However, Weber is a few years older and has a long term contract that will see the Habs on the hook for a cap hit of nearly eight million dollars when he is forty years old. Subban will only cost the Predators nine million dollars against the cap for six more years. P.K will be 33 when his contract expires. Nashville won this deal handily. While both defenseman are elite, Subban will retain his value for longer than Weber will.

Finally, Steven Stamkos re signed with Tampa. In my original article, I suggested that if winning was his aim then Tampa was best for him. Tampa is a Stanley Cup winner waiting to happen for this upcoming season. They have great depth, great young talent, and superb goalies. All of these moves showed us one thing. We have no idea what is coming up this offseason, except that it will be outstanding to watch and see where other stars like Kyle Okposo end up.